“I’m happy that we won and I think we ran a good race,” Kampf said. “I believe that I followed through on my promises in my first term and that allowed me to carry the day.”

Drucker’s campaign said they were waiting to examine results from the outstanding precincts and the number of provisional ballots before conceding the race.

All results are unofficial until certified by the state.

This year’s contest for state representative in Pennslyvania’s 157th district was a rematch of the two candidates who squared off during the 2010 election.

Kampf was holding off Drucker, who trailed by just over 1000 votes with two precincts not counted as of 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Both are former Tredyffrin supervisors.

Kampf said he will enter his second term with a number of priorities including balancing the budget and participating in public pension reform. He added the state will continue to face financial challenges as the economy continues to struggle through its recovery from recession.

“We have plenty of work to do in the state,” Kampf said. “I’m looking forward to this second term.”

Party officials said both turnout and excitement was high as voters had their voices heard in both local and national races.

Michelle Kichline, a Tredyffrin supervisor and vice chairwoman of the Chester County Republican Committee, estimated that turnout at the Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School was close to 70 percent by 5 p.m. She also added that voters appeared enthusiastic in their support of Republican candidates on both the national and local level.

“It’s very different from four years ago, there seem to be a lot of energized Republicans,” Kichline said. “It’s a very different vibe.”

Voters in a district in the Tredyffrin to Phoenixville area cast their ballots in a race with no shortage of criticism and negativity from both sides. Literature and mailings from both campaigns has accused the other of supporting policies not in the best interest of local voters.

The candidates, both attorneys by profession, have traded barbs over policies including the funding of public education, the regulation of energy interests tied to the Marcellus Shale natural gas reserves, and more local issues like the possible tolling of roads like Route 422.

It was clear that voters at the polls were largely focused on economic issues while completing their ballots, with some harboring concerns that the national economy has made little progress during the last four years.

“Davis Pearson, an insurance agent from Tredyffrin, said he was a registered Republican who voted for President Obama four years ago, but had mixed feeling about that vote four years later.

“I’m not sure if anyone could have dug us out of the hole we were in in 2008,” Pearson said. “I’m not sure if either candidate can get us out of the mess we’re in right now, but it’s a sad, sad world we’re living in right now. There just doesn’t seem to be as much happiness as there used to be.”

Robin McConnell, who works for the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, also said that the economy was the most important issue during this year’s election.

“It’s the economy, of course that is number one,” McConnell said. “Some people are saying that things are getting better, but I don’t think it is noticeable for a lot of people.”

McConnell, who said he knew both Kampf and Drucker from their time on the Tredyffrin board of supervisors, said he was supporting Kampf in the race for the 157th state house seat.

“Warren is more than deserving of a second term, he works hard and cares about the community,” McConnell said, adding that he was pleased when Kampf went door to door in his neighborhood. “Warren has always been very good to us (the school district).”

Kampf has run for reelection on promises to continue efforts to balance the state budget in Harrisburg while also adequately funding public education and other popular social services.

Drucker has also promised to bring fiscal responsibility to Harrisburg, but claimed to be the only candidate who would do so while also investing in the state’s future.

Throughout the campaign Kampf has maintained that the top priority of the legislature should be balancing the budget and controlling spending, but agreed that funding the education of the state’s children must also remain high on the list.

The incumbent’s campaign has claimed Pennsylvania now invests more state tax dollars in public education than ever before, but acknowledged the state could do better to provide more children with a better education.

But Drucker pointed to budget cuts in 2010 and 20011 that hit funding for public education, and claimed that the most recent state budget made no effort to restore those painful cuts that have led schools to increase class sizes, cut programs, and layoff teachers.

The challenger said if elected he would work across party lines to make funding education a top priority and make an effort to increase state funding levels.